2015 was a year of progress on gender equality and women’s rights in Canada.
Inclusive Leadership
We voted for the #countrywewant and elected a record number of women in the federal election (#elxn42), ending the year with a gender-equal parliament and a feminist Prime Minister. While many tried to discredit this overdue move toward gender parity in government as affirmative action without merit, the women appointed as ministers are more than qualified.
There was a chorus of voices calling for an end to gender-based violence in November and December.
On Nov. 19 and 20, the Ontario government brought together policy makers, service providers and activists for a summit on sexual violence and harassment or #SVHAP2015. Participants shared innovative ideas, discussed how to raise public awareness, support survivors, create safer campuses and workplaces, and spark a change in attitudes and behaviours. The Ontario government also released its second #ItsNeverOkay video and federal Minister for the Status of Women @PattyHajdu announced that the government would create a national action plan to address violence against women—a long sought-after commitment.
We hear about it every week in the news. We have a sister, female colleague or friend who has experienced it. We hope the next generation won’t have to.
“It” is gender-based violence. On December 10, Human Rights Day, we are reminded that the right to live free of gender-based violence is a human right that is yet to be secure in any country.
Established by the United Nations in 1950, Human Rights Day is recognized by organizations and governments around the world, and it comes at the end of the 16 Days of Action Against Gender-Based Violence.
For the last two weeks, I have had the privilege to travel across the country to visit social service agencies and community-based organizations that are championing anti-trafficking initiatives at the local level. Most of these programs are run by women and informed by people who have experienced trafficking in one form or another. All of them are looking for ways to support those who have been trafficked while tackling the root causes of the problem in their communities.
When we speak of sex trafficking at the Canadian Women’s Foundation, we define it as an extreme form of violence against woman and girls. The coercion of a girl or a woman to engage in sex for the financial gain of another is nothing less than violent and an egregious form of abuse that must not be tolerated. Less often discussed in public forums is the fact that sex trafficking is also a human rights violation. Sex trafficking is more than just one person mistreating another — it is the result of systemic problems in our society that need to be urgently addressed.
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